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Camp Chiricahua July 15–26, 2018

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Camp Chiricahua July 15–26, 2018 CAMP CHIRICAHUA JULY 15–26, 2018 Elegant Trogon in South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon © Brian Gibbons LEADERS: BRIAN GIBBONS & WILLY HUTCHESON LIST COMPILED BY: BRIAN GIBBONS VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM Gathering under the drizzling gray skies, it was hard to believe we were in the Sonoran Desert; a week later, under the scorching sun, it was obvious. So goes the monsoon season in the southwest. From the rain-cooled Madrean woodlands of the Catalina Mountains to sere desert that had dodged the drenching thunderstorms so common in the late summer, we birded, herped, and hiked our way through southeast Arizona. Dawn at Rose Canyon Lake © Brian Gibbons Our first afternoon found us winding our way up the Catalina Highway through the spectacular saguaro-studded hills of the lower slopes of the Coronado National Forest. We made a brief stop in the desert and found Black-throated Sparrow, Cassin’s Sparrow, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and a Gilded Flicker that played hard to get. Our next stop was to take in the wonder of Seven Cataracts. The falls were flowing due to the thunderstorms of the past week. The open shrubby grassland was next, then the oaks, the pines and finally to cool Douglas Fir woodlands that hosted an avifauna completely different from the desert below. Our two nights of camping allowed us to explore these cooler forested habitats. Rose Canyon Campground provided many of our first lifers with Painted Redstart, Acorn Woodpeckers, Yellow-eyed Juncos, and Greater Pewees all putting in appearances during our time in the campground. Abert’s Squirrels were Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Camp Chiricahua II, 2018 delightfully common among the pines. Our morning walk added a few species including a Virginia’s Warbler. In a moist drainage a Red-faced Warbler brightened our day at Incinerator Ridge. Along Marshall Gulch the stream was flowing past Columbine and Salvia; overhead, maples, alders, and Douglas Firs towered. In the afternoon we paid a visit to Jo’s cabin; she’s been escaping the summer heat of Tucson in the mountains for more than fifty years. Her hummingbirds were zipping around everywhere as we joined her on the deck. Patience brought hungry hummers to our fingers as they sipped nectar before being chased off by their neighbor. Rivoli’s, Rufous, Broad-tailed, Anna’s, and Black-chinned hummingbirds all buzzed through the oaks around her cabin, a show we will never forget. Male Rivoli's Hummingbird © Brian Gibbons The next day, after allowing our tents to dry a bit from yesterday afternoon’s downpour, we headed to the desert again. A brief stop at my house revealed Harris’s Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Costa’s Hummingbirds, and other desert dwellers. Next, we were off to Willcox for a quick lunch before birding the famous ponds by the golf course. The water levels were just right, after drying completely last summer, and we found myriad shorebirds including a few fresh from the Arctic on their fall migration: Long-billed Curlew, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Baird’s Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and many Wilson’s Phalaropes spinning in the water and on land. After a short trip through New Mexico we made it to the Chiricahua Mountains and Cave Creek Ranch where we would stay for the next four nights. The feeder array there is varied and allowed us to study many new birds and critters like the White-nosed Coati and Striped Skunks. Blue-throated Hummingbirds were cruising around the grounds and amazed everyone. Broad-billed Hummingbirds were common and often fed at arm’s-length. The next morning, we headed off to the famous Cave Creek Canyon for a trogon hunt. Armed with intel from Camp I, we headed towards the bridge. Not long after our arrival, Will spotted a female just before she disappeared downstream. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher © Brian Gibbons A little more searching would reveal that we needn’t search anymore! A male made a quick Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Camp Chiricahua II, 2018 visit to a nest hole in a sycamore just off the road. For more than an hour we admired both birds’ plumage and watched as they delivered small insects to the hungry nestlings inside. We owe a small debt of gratitude to a Mexican Fox Squirrel that kept the vigilant male around, making sure the squirrel wasn’t going to raid a trogon nest. We hiked up the Canyon after our excellent studies of the Elegant Trogon pair. Black-throated Gray Warblers, Bridled Titmouse, Dusky- capped Flycatchers, and pewees enlivened the hike. A plucking post with Montezuma Quail feathers among others had us shaking our fist at the local Cooper’s Hawk. Turkey Creek is one of the few remaining spots for Mexican Chickadees after the catastrophic 2011 fire that burned more than a quarter million acres of forest in the Chiricahuas. Right on cue they appeared with titmice and a few other birds. Soon we heard the tooting of a pygmy-owl. A quick search revealed a Northern Pygmy- Owl tooting from a pine tree. After these great observations we continued climbing and encountered a nice Black-tailed Rattlesnake that got one look at us and headed back into its lair. We had a nice picnic lunch at Barfoot Park, even though we were unable to locate my wanted lifer Twin- spotted Rattlesnake. We also explored the west slope of the Chiricahuas down to Pinery Canyon before returning to the Ranch. After exploring the mountains, we were ready to strike out to the Chihuahuan Desert along State Line Road. The gray skies made for a cool morning exploring the desert. Skylarking Cassin’s and singing Botteri’s sparrows indicated to us that the monsoon Male Acorn Woodpecker © Brian Gibbons breeders were active. Scaled and Gambel’s quail mingled as we descended towards New Mexico and the realm of Bendire’s Thrashers. The Chiricahua Desert Museum hosted many of the rare reptiles that we didn’t see during the camp, like the rare rattlesnakes and Gila Monster. In the afternoon we retraced our steps to the Southwest Research Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Camp Chiricahua II, 2018 Station in hopes of stumbling upon some Montezuma Quail; needless to say, we didn’t trip. Our final morning in the Chiricahuas had us hunting the scrubby desert of Paradise Road; our primary target, the Crissal Thrasher, came out as we admired the entrance of Cave Creek Canyon. We didn’t track down Black-chinned Sparrow or Montezuma Quail again! The late morning highlight for me was our Texas Horned Lizard that cooperated for group photos along State Line Road. Farther south, on the east side of the Chiricahuas, a lone Pronghorn was a sentinel in the grasslands. A quick stop at San Pedro House produced a few new sightings for us at this riparian site with massive cottonwood trees towering over the mesquite bosque habitat. Abert’s Towhee, Common Ground-Dove, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Yellow-breasted Chat all brightened our list there. Camp Chiricahua admiring a Texas Horned Lizard near Rodeo, New Mexico © Brian Gibbons In the afternoon, our attempt to visit Carr Canyon was aborted by the swelling thunderstorm overhead. At Ash Canyon our luck wasn’t any better, as minutes after we arrived the heavens opened, and we retreated to town for dinner. On our first morning in the Huachucas we labored up the Hunter Canyon trail into a small canyon woodland that has hosted Rufous-capped Warblers for years; there was a singing warbler, but it remained a challenge to see for some Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Camp Chiricahua II, 2018 folks. We also enjoyed more sightings of the blue Pleasing Fungus Beetles. Again we climbed Carr Canyon, this time in the daylight, for a picnic among the Buff-breasted Flycatchers, Hepatic Tanagers, and a family of Zone-tailed Hawks. The full Huachuca tour continued with our short hike into Miller Canyon with a visit to the Beatty’s. Quiet at first, we soon detected the squeaking of a fledgling raptor; we knew these would be the baby Northern Goshawks letting the adult know that they were still hungry! Willy’s hawk-scouting didn’t turn up the hawks, but he did find a Sulphur- bellied Flycatcher nest with four young nearly ready to tumble out despite being too young. Once we were all in the canyon watching the flycatchers, the goshawks Adult Zone-tailed Hawk in Carr Canyon © Brian Gibbons made their presence known, and we soon had a massive juvenile in the scope for all to enjoy. Later I wandered up canyon to find a morsel the goshawks had dropped. No wonder we were having trouble finding Montezuma Quail—the goshawk family was eating them! That evening, our vigil at Mary Jo’s Ash Canyon turned up the desired stunning male Lucifer Hummingbirds but not the pair of Montezuma Quail that had been a daily occurrence of late. Perhaps the adult Northern Goshawk that cruised past three times had something to do with it—hmmmm? That evening we enjoyed a stunning sunset from Pizzeria Mimosa. The view from the top of Carr Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains © Brian Gibbons The Nature Conservancy preserve Ramsey Canyon has long been a birding destination in Southeast Arizona. The oaks and sycamores right around the visitor center were alive with birds, Bridled Titmice and Painted Redstarts among them. The lamp had attracted a newly emerged Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Camp Chiricahua II, 2018 Polyphemus Moth—a massive stunning silk moth that will live as an adult for just a few days.
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